In what might have been his last interview, Nicholas Katzenbach, who died May 8, 2012, spoke to Workforce Management contributor Matthew Heller on the phone about his thoughts on the Civil Rights Act and the difficulty both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations had in getting it through Congress.

As part of our 90th anniversary, Workforce Management is talking to some of the people and organizations that helped influence today's workplace. In this installment, Workforce Management contributor Matthew Heller talks with former U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach about the development of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the problems the Kennedy and Johnson administrations faced, and how the legislation has evolved and how successful it has been over the years.

To celebrate Workforce Management's 90th anniversary, we're running a series of articles looking at important workforce-related issues with a then-and-now theme. This installment examines civil rights in the 1960s and today. Next month, we look at the 1970s and women in the workforce.